Cholera Detected In Miami

MIAMI - A case of cholera reportedly traced directly to Haiti`s epidemic, has been detected in south Florida.

Florida`s Department of Health said Wednesday that the case involves a Haitian-American woman who recently returned from visiting family in Haiti`s Artibonite Valley.

The area is where the water borne disease first broke out in Haiti. Officials have not identified the woman but said she lives in Southwest Florida and does not work in a job that puts her in close contact with the public.

She has also since recovered. Florida health officials added that they`re investigating other suspected cholera cases but that the disease does not pose a significant health threat there or in the U.S. South Florida is home to a large Haitian-American population who travel back and forth to their homeland.

The Florida report comes as The Miami Herald reported health officials in the Dominican Republic confirming the country`s first case of cholera. The 32-year-old Haitian man was infected after a two-week vacation in Haiti.

In Haiti, cholera has killed more than 1,000 and hospitalized some 16,000 people to date. Health workers there say donations to help get clean water and soap could help significantly to stem the epidemic.